


Old Habits Die Hard

by Shingeki_No_Kill_Me



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Awkwardness, First Kiss, M/M, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-16 08:03:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15432603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shingeki_No_Kill_Me/pseuds/Shingeki_No_Kill_Me
Summary: A night of light-hearted fun ends with unsure feelings.High School AU because I'm hiding from canon lol. Rated M for language and themes.





	Old Habits Die Hard

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I took a little break to write this one-shot for Day 1 of ReiBert Week 2018 (Teenage Awkwardness/ First Kiss). I really really enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it too!

**Reiner:** My place or yours tonight?

Bertholdt smiles when he hears his phone buzz. He reads the message from Reiner before typing out a quick response. “My parents are going to be out so we won’t have to lock ourselves up in a room all night. 100% guaranteed privacy to get as fucked up as possible. What time do you think you'll be over? (:”

 **Reiner** : Maybe around six or seven? I still need to stop by to get the stuff from Jean and he’s waiting for Marco's older brother to get home so he can get it from him. You know the deal.

Bertholdt knows. They had been drinking together almost every other weekend since the beginning of their second semester of senior year. It had started when Reiner had suggested that they get their livers ready for college. Bertholdt had protested at first but he had given in after a while against his better judgment. He might enjoy a solitary environment at times but he’s never been against having a good time.

Trying to find privacy to try their poison of the night hadn’t been a challenge. Reiner's mother usually leaves them alone after they’ve gone to his room and Bertholdt’s parents go out of town fairly frequently. Finding someone to buy the alcohol for them had been the real challenge. Luckily, Reiner had heard from Connie who had heard from Sasha who had heard from Ymir who had heard from Krista who had heard from Jean that Marco's totally cool older brother would get it for them if they could pay him back. They’ve had many an interesting night thanks to him.

Bertholdt leans back against the arm of the couch before resting his phone on his stomach. It looks like he'll have to wait two hours at most so he may as well get a little bit of rest while he has the time.

 

* * *

 

 

Reiner arrives right on time with just as much of a commotion as he usually does. “Yo, Bertl!” He sets the bag of various bottles down on the kitchen counter before calling out again. “Come on, don’t tell me you’re asleep again. Let’s get this party started!” He sighs with a soft smile when he enters the living room to find his best friend doing exactly what he had suspected. Reiner shakes him gently in an attempt to wake him up, hoping that he doesn’t wake up in an unpleasant mood.

Bertholdt opens his eyes slowly before grinning at the blonde. “Hey…took you long enough. What'd you get?” He sits up excitedly before standing to follow Reiner into the kitchen. Reiner reaches into the bag and lists off each item as he reveals it. “We’ve got a couple bags of chips, a bottle of Fireball, a bottle of Capriccio, and a four pack of apple ale.” He chuckles softly before setting the last item on the counter. “I know you like it because it’s kind of like apple juice.” Bertholdt snorts at that, as it's hardly the truth. The ale was what they had tried the first time they had done this and since the drink went down easily, it had become a routine purchase for these weekends.

“I’m assuming the fireball is for you...” Bertholdt wrinkles his nose up before pushing the bottle to the furthest side of the counter. “And don’t you think this is a lot for one night…?

Reiner pokes his tongue at Bert’s remark to his choice in alcohol before shrugging. “Didn’t think we would drink it all tonight. I just thought it would be nice to have extra for another time. I could stash it somewhere at my place.” Bertholdt nods as he watches Reiner pour himself a short glass of the cinnamon whiskey.

“Alright, yeah. Good idea.” He hums softly before uncapping the bottle of wine. He only pours half a glass at first, fully intending on going light tonight. “What do you wanna watch this time?” Bertholdt takes a sip and nods his head in approval before deciding to grab the whole bottle and one of the bags of chips as he heads to the living room. Reiner drops down onto the couch before propping his feet up on the coffee table.

“I dunno… _The 40-Year-Old Virgin_?” Bert rolls his eyes at that.

“Are you sure? We watch it almost every weekend.”

“Alright yeah, and? Your point is…?”

“Aren’t you tired of it yet?” Reiner chuckles softly before tossing the remote to the man next to him.

“I’ll never get tired of it. It is hands down the best movie of all time.”

“Uh huh, alright. It may be a good movie but it’s no cinematic masterpiece.” Bertholdt laughs softly before scrolling through the movies list on Netflix and selecting the one in question. Reiner steals the bag of chips away from Bert as the movie starts. He can only be silent for a few minutes before starting to ramble again. Bertholdt listens absentmindedly, familiar with the blonde's inability to stay quiet. He almost finds it comforting by now.

Reiner winces as he emits a rough sounding belch before eyeing his drink suspiciously. Bertholdt does his best to suppress a chuckle. “You alright?” Reiner nods slowly before setting the Fireball aside.

“Yeah but I think I’m done with this for now…kind of burns going down and it doesn’t seem to like me too much either. Think I might grab the other stuff real quick. Want one?” Bertholdt hums before tracing the rim of his third glass of wine.

“Umm…sure, yeah. I might not necessarily _need_ one but yeah I’ll take one.” He downs the rest of his wine and smiles at the blonde before holding out the bottle and his empty glass. “Take these back to the kitchen for me too? Please.” Reiner nods as he tucks the items to his chest with an arm. Bert raises an eyebrow when he watches Reiner stumble on his way out. “You sure you need any more?” He hears the other man call back from the kitchen between clinks of glass against glass.

“Nah, I’m good. I’m fine. I ate like four plates of spaghetti before I came so I…” He sighs happily and pats his stomach with his free hand as he reenters the room. “…I should be fine for now.” Reiner hands a bottle to the brunet before sitting down with his own. He slips the bottle opener out his back pocket and pops the top off of his bottle before reaching over to get Bertholdt's for him. Bert frowns as he catches the cap.

“Thanks but…I wanted to do it. That’s the best part.” Reiner chuckles softly before tossing the bottle opener onto the coffee table and propping his feet up.

“Well then, guess I’ll stop going out of my way to do nice things for you.” Reiner sticks his tongue out playfully before taking a swig of his drink. It goes down easier than the whiskey had and he hums softly, pleasantly surprised at how smooth it feels. He thinks it could be partially due to his slightly more-than-tipsy state but he'll address that problem later. Bertholdt is looking at him with a pout; the kind of pout that says “I’m genuinely upset” and Reiner is overcome with the urge to fix that. “Hey…don’t give me that look. I was only kidding.” Reiner smiles before ruffling the brunet's hair. Bertholdt responds by shifting his head away and taking a drink.

“I don’t need you babying me all the time.” Reiner frowns once he realizes how upset Bert really is.

“Bertl…you’re my best friend. And as the older one, it’s my job to take care of you. You should be used to it by now.” Reiner ruffles Bertholdt's hair again. He smiles this time as he’s reminded of Reiner’s “motherly instincts”. The behavior had been more prevalent when they were children but Bertholdt hadn’t failed to notice the more subtle ways Reiner had looked out for him as they had grown older.

“Remember when you used to bring me chicken soup whenever I got sick?” Reiner pulls his legs up onto the couch with a smile.

“Yeah but don’t forget that you did the same for me.”

“I only did it for you because you did it for me first…you were a huge influence on me back then. I looked up to you.” Bertholdt finishes off his drink before resting the bottle on the coffee table. He feels comfortably warm now thanks to the alcohol making its way through his system. He knows Reiner probably feels the same – or better, even – even though he claims to have eaten a whopping four plates of spaghetti before his arrival. The amount he's imbibed must have overpowered his carb intake by now.

“Oh yeah? Am I a good role model?” Bertholdt chuckles softly before spreading his legs out across the couch. He knows he’s probably crowding Reiner out but the blonde is familiar with it and usually doesn’t mind.

“I suppose.” Reiner scoffs before turning to Bert with a surprised look.

"You _suppose_? What kind of answer is that?"

"Well...condoning and participating in underage drinking isn't exactly something a good role model would do." Reiner shrugs as he continues to sip his drink slowly.

"Alright, yeah. I guess you've got a point." Bertholdt smiles before tapping Reiner's leg with his foot.

"But that doesn't mean you aren't a good person. I can still look up to you even though you're a delinquent."

"I wouldn't quite say that I'm a _delinquent_...I just make not-so-good choices at times. That's all." Bertholdt snorts softly in response.

"Yeah, do you remember that time freshman year when we went camping? You talked me into jumping off of that cliff and into the lake with you and I broke my arm." Reiner frowns and sets his drink aside before turning to face the brunet.

"How many times do I need to apologize for that?"

"I think you've done it quite enough...I just thought we were listing off bad decisions." Bertholdt rests his hands on his stomach as he chuckles softly. It feels different since all of his muscles feel a bit looser and the sensation causes him to laugh a little longer than he usually would.

"Alright well, in that case...what about that time when you tried to get me to sneak out so we could hang out with Annie in the park at like midnight and we _all_ got caught."

"She said it was important!"

"Mhmm...and what did it end up being?" Bertholdt pauses for a moment, a bit embarrassed that they're even having this conversation.

"She wanted me to bring her Taco Bell..."

"Mhmmmmmmm and your poor pre-teen mind was too focused on getting a hug or a kiss out of gratitude that we went out and we got picked up by the police for being out past curfew and I got grounded for a _month_ , Bertl. A month." Reiner doesn't seem angry, just talkative, and Bertholdt can't help the intoxicated giggle that slips past his lips in reaction to the blonde's jumbled speech.

"I'm sorry." He manages to speak through his laughter and Reiner squints his eyes at the man next to him, unable to fight back the smile that's been creeping across his own face.

"No, you're not."

“You’re right…it was fun.” Reiner grins wide before nodding in agreement.

“Alright, yeah. It was.” He snorts softly. “You fell out the window and hit your head on the way down…I’m surprised your parents didn’t catch us first with all the noise we were making.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m not very good at being sneaky.” Bertholdt smiles before pausing for a moment as he remembers one of the blonde's old “motherly” habits. “I’m surprised you went along with that one…that was back when you used to scold me for getting in trouble and when you still kissed my forehead whenever I would get nervous.” Bertholdt regrets saying anything the instant the words leave his lips. He knows Reiner is embarrassed about how protective he used to be. He wouldn’t have grown out of it so quickly otherwise.

“Sorry about that…guess I let myself get a little carried away back then.” Reiner laughs nervously before shifting away to face the television once more.

“I really didn’t mind it…you always tried to make sure I felt safe and I appreciate that.”

“Is it weird that I miss it?” Bertholdt smiles.

“No, not really. In all honesty, I was kind of disappointed when you stopped.” Reiner is uncharacteristically silent but it isn’t awkward. Bert figures that he had just fallen asleep; a rather common occurrence for the blonde after he’s had just a little too much to drink. He stirs after just a few minutes and Bertholdt smiles up at him when he stands. “Getting another drink?”

“Nah, I’ve had enough…I think I’m going to head off to bed.” Bert nods and leans forward to turn the TV off before gathering their bottles.

“Alright. Let me get rid of these and I’ll meet you there.” He heads outside to hide the empty bottles at the bottom of the garbage can before grabbing the other bottles from the kitchen and heading upstairs. He finds that Reiner has already arranged a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor. “Help me hide these?” Reiner nods as he emerges from the nest he had made.

“Umm…here.” He takes the bottles from the brunet and heads towards the bookshelf. Reiner slides out one of the binders sitting on the top shelf and puts the bottles in its spot before replacing the binder so that each cover is to each side of the bottles. “Not the best but it’ll have to work for now. I think we'll be better off hiding it at my place.” Bertholdt nods in response. Reiner returns to his nest as Bert turns to change into an old t-shirt and a pair of flannel pajama pants. He flips off the light and hops into bed, surprised when Reiner stands to tuck him in. “Here’s to hoping we don’t get hangovers in the morning.” Bertholdt nods, smiling when Reiner leans down to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

“Thank you.” Reiner smiles back as the alcohol in his system warms his cheeks.

“Cozy?”

“Yes. Very.”

“Good…” Reiner hums softly as he moves to climb back into his pile. “Sleep well.” Bertholdt opens his mouth to speak but hesitates. He thinks he may have had a little too much to drink because his mind is a mess right now and he’s having trouble finding his words. He grips Reiner's bicep to get his attention until he can speak.

“Hey, wait…what about you?” Reiner chuckles softly.

“What about me?”

“I never really went out of my way to make sure you were alright…I always figured you already were since you never said anything.”

“I was.” Reiner smiles up from his spot on the floor. “Don’t worry about me.” Bertholdt frowns before sitting up.

“Let me make it up to you.” He smiles happily before leaning over the edge of his bed to press a kiss to Reiner's temple. He grins wide before pressing another to the center of his forehead and then another on the cheek closest to him. Reiner had been silent at first but he’s laughing now, holding a hand up against each ticklish peck as he attempts to speak between giggles.

“St-stop it…” He pauses for a moment before taking a deep breath to compose himself, still grinning. “I think we’re even now.” Bertholdt shakes his head before pressing another kiss to the tip of the blonde's nose.

“Now.” He shakes his head and grins wider as he kisses Reiner's other cheek. “Now.” And then another to his lips. Bertholdt pulls away to find that Reiner isn’t laughing anymore – not even grinning – just sitting in a stunned silence. The brunet giggles sheepishly before pulling himself back into his bed. “Sorry…I think I’ve had a little too much to drink.” Reiner raises a hand to press his fingers against his own lips before leaning closer to the edge of Bert's bed.

“Bertl…” He turns to look at Reiner, hoping that the other man isn’t upset with him. “…I think I have too…” Reiner pauses again as he gently cups Bertholdt's cheek with a hand. The gesture causes Bert's heart to flutter and he brings a hand up to cover the spot over his chest as if to keep the organ from flying away. “…So please don’t apologize.” And then Reiner's lips are on his again.

Bertholdt’s breath hitches and his mouth grows dry because suddenly he’s drunk kissing his lifelong best friend who he may or may not have already imagined kissing and it’s a bit of an overwhelming situation. He finds the courage to kiss back just as the blonde is about to pull away. He doesn’t want this to end. Not yet. Bertholdt rests his head back against the pillow and Reiner follows him, not missing a moment as he rests his knee against the edge of the bed and climbs up.

Reiner does his best to keep his distance. A drunken kiss may be one thing to ignore if Bertholdt doesn’t really mean this but he knows there’s no fixing their friendship if he pushes it any further. Bertholdt pulls away a split second after the thought crosses Reiner’s mind. The brunet’s cheeks are flushed and Reiner has a feeling that it isn’t the alcohol’s fault this time. “S-sorry…” Reiner attempts to catch his breath as he lowers himself back down to the bed he had made on the floor. He waits silently for Bert to tell him how badly he fucked up.

Bertholdt rolls to face the blonde with a smile before dangling an arm over the edge of the bed and offering his hand to Reiner. “Don’t be. I enjoyed it.” Reiner tentatively takes his friend’s hand in his own before lacing their fingers together with a shy smile.

“I did too.”


End file.
